N.J. hit with April storm that brings flooding but also alleviates allergies

View full sizeWilliam Perlman/The Star-LedgerA man shields himself from the rain in Millburn today.

Well, it’s about time.

After an unusually dry winter in which the state received only 6 inches of precipitation, New Jersey is being drenched with some much-needed rain. A slow-moving coastal storm that reached the region early today was expected to drop between 1 to 3 inches of rain on the state, with northern areas seeing the heaviest downpour.

And folks in the northwest part of the state will finally get a taste of winter — the nor’easter may drop up to an inch of snow in western Sussex County on Monday night, said meteorologist Jim Hayes of the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. Strong, gusty winds were also expected throughout the state.

Hayes said a late-April nor’easter isn’t uncommon.

“It’s not that unusual,” he said. “A month from now it would be unusual.”

The dreary weather might keep some inside today, but it should help others enjoy the outdoors in the coming days as the rain lowers the pollen count and alleviates allergies.

Leonard Bielory, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Rutgers, said pollen counts in February were about 10 times higher than is typical. The rain can wash away those concerns.

“Sometimes you might lessen the pollen count,” said Smruti Parikh, an allergist and immunologist with ENT Allergy and Associates’ office in Somerville. “Our allergy patients might feel a bit better.”

But it’s not all good news. Some grass pollens can be unleashed because of the rain, she added.

View full sizePatti Sapone/The Star-LedgerSophia Nicosia-Garcia, 7, keeps her umbrella close as she walks along George Street in New Brunswick during heavy rain today.

And mold sufferers could be in for some tough times as well.

“Molds can be dispersed during the rain and there are quite a few people who suffer from the molds,” she said.

The rain could also help alleviate the state’s drought conditions, which have helped spark several major brush fires in recent weeks.
“It’ll help, but it won’t solve all the problems,” Hayes said.

Last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor said the entire Garden State is in a moderate drought after an extremely dry start to 2012. The six inches of precipitation during the first three months of the year was well below the average of 10.6 inches.

Meteorologically, the reason for the region’s reduced rainfall has been an absence of a subtropical jet stream that normally brings moisture up the East Coast, said Steven DiMartino, a meteorologist and owner of NY NJ PA Weather. This has combined with abnormally cold temperatures in the stratosphere to create the hot and dry weather at lower altitudes, he said.

Even with dry ground, there’s still possibility for some flooding, particularly for “quick responding streams and small rivers,” according to the National Weather Service.

Large rivers like the Passaic, however, are not expected to see any flooding from this rain.

Though flooding was not expected to occur, mostly due to the dry conditions across the state, flood watches were in effect for several northern counties. A flood watch remains in effect for nine counties in New Jersey: Essex, Union, Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon, Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Mercer counties from 8 a.m. Sunday until 4 a.m. Monday.